1870 Double Eagle Patterns

About This Coin

The pinnacle of the 1870 Standard Silver Patterns program by denomination, these double eagle ($20 gold coin) pieces represent the Mint's most ambitious design explorations applied to America's largest circulating coin. Struck under Chief Engraver William Barber, these patterns proposed alternatives to Longacre's Liberty Head design that had served since 1849 following the California Gold Rush. The obverse features experimental portrait compositions, while the reverse explored variations on the heraldic eagle with rays and stars. The double eagle's massive 33.4-gram gold planchet made it expensive for pattern production, limiting specimens struck and ensuring extreme rarity. A notable auction result of $46K in PR64 at Heritage Auctions reflects the premium that gold-coin prestige and pattern rarity commands. The 1870 patterns foreshadow the denomination's eventual transformation: Augustus Saint-Gaudens would revolutionize the double eagle in 1907 with what many consider the most beautiful American coin ever produced, but the 1870 patterns document an earlier moment when design reform was being tested on this flagship denomination.